Grammarly HomeProductLearnFeaturesProduct DemoTrust & SecurityDownloadDesktopMobileBrowserWorkBy Team SizeEnterpriseTeams & BusinessesIndividualsBy Team FunctionCustomer SupportMarketingITSalesHREducationStudentsInstitutionsPricingResourcesLearnBlogCustomer StoriesBusiness Events & ReportsEducation Events & ReportsSupport CenterToolsAI Writing ToolsGrammar CheckerPlagiarism CheckerParaphrasing ToolContact SalesLog inGet GrammarlyIt's freeGrammarly HomeProductLearnFeaturesProduct DemoTrust & SecurityDownloadDesktopMobileBrowserWorkBy Team SizeEnterpriseTeams & BusinessesIndividualsBy Team FunctionCustomer SupportMarketingITSalesHREducationStudentsInstitutionsPricingResourcesLearnBlogCustomer StoriesBusiness Events & ReportsEducation Events & ReportsSupport CenterToolsAI Writing ToolsGrammar CheckerPlagiarism CheckerParaphrasing ToolGet GrammarlyIt's freeContact SalesLog inGrammarly Blog HomeWritingWriting TipsGrammarStudentsProfessionalsLifestyleProductCompanyGrammarly HomeWritingWriting TipsGrammarStudentsProfessionalsLifestyleProductCompanyGet GrammarlyIt's freeContact SalesLog inPlural Nouns: Rules and ExamplesMatt EllisUpdated on October 18, 2022GrammarA plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most singular nouns are made plural by adding a suffix, usually –s or –es. For example, the singular noun dog takes the plural form dogs, as in three dogs. However, there are irregular plural nouns that take unique forms. Most singular nouns are made plural by simply putting an –s at the end. There are many different rules regarding pluralization depending on what letter a noun ends in. Irregular nouns do not follow plural noun rules, so they must be memorized or looked up in the dictionary. A noun is plural when it represents two or more people, places, things, or ideas. You can identify most plural nouns because they end in –s or –es, although there are plenty of exceptions. In particular, irregular plural nouns each have their own special plural forms, such as child and its plural form, children. English distinguishes grammatical nouns as either singular or plural. Singular nouns represent one of something. Plural nouns, on the other hand, represent two or more of something. You can tell the difference between most singular and plural nouns by how the word ends, except for irregular nouns. possessive nouns have it, but plural nouns don’t (unless they’re plural possessive nouns). To make a regular noun plural, you add –s or –es to the end, depending on the word’s ending. Sometimes, letters of the original word get changed to make the plural form, such as half and its plural form, halves. We explain which words get which suffixes in the next section. Irregular plural nouns are an exception. Each irregular plural noun has its own unique plural form, such as mouse and its plural, mice, or goose and its plural, geese. Most nouns can be turned into plural nouns, including collective nouns that represent groups. However, mass nouns, also known as uncountable nouns or non-count nouns, like art, usually aren’t expressed as plurals, even when they represent multiple things. There are many plural noun rules, and because we use nouns so frequently when writing, it’s important to know all of them! The correct spelling of plurals usually depends on what letter the singular noun ends in. To make regular nouns plural, add –s to the end. If the singular noun ends in –s, –ss, –sh, –ch, –x, or –z, you usually add -es to the end to make it plural. In some cases, singular nouns ending in –s or –z require that you double the –s or –z prior to adding the –es for pluralization. For most nouns that end with –f or –ef, you add an –s to form the plural version. Be aware of exceptions, however. For some nouns ending this way, you must change the –f or –ef to –ve before adding the –s. If a singular noun ends in –y and the letter before the –y is a consonant, you usually change the ending to –ies to make the noun plural. If the singular noun ends in –y and the letter before the –y is a vowel, simply add an –s to make it plural. If the singular noun ends in –o, you usually add –es to make it plural. If the singular noun ends in –us, the plural ending is frequently –i. If the singular noun ends in –is, the plural ending is –es. If the singular noun ends in –on, the plural ending is usually –a. Some nouns don’t change at all when they’re pluralized. Mark caught one fish, but I caught three fish. However, when it comes to fish, things can get a little complicated. Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up the proper pluralization in the dictionary. A plural noun is the form of a noun used to show there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most nouns simply add –s or –es to the end to become plural. Kids is the plural noun form of kid. Some nouns have an irregular plural form; for instance, the plural noun of child is children, not childs. Singular nouns represent only one thing, but plural nouns represent more than one. If someone stands alone, we call them a person (singular), but if there’s more than one person, we call them people (plural). Your writing, at its best.Get GrammarlyIt's freeWorks on all your favorite websitesRelated ArticlesGrammarWhat Are Verbs With “S”?GrammarWhat Part of Speech Is “Was”?GrammarTest Grammar: Essential English Grammar to Ace Your Next TestGrammarWhat Are Split Infinitives? 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